NORRISTOWN — Growing up, Ernest Hadrick III, or Tre as most people know him, saw first-hand a dedication to community and helping others. His father, Ernie Hadrick Jr., was, and still is, active in the community and has served as a coach and mentor to generations of young people in Norristown. Knowing that, it should not have surprised anyone when the younger Hadrick began to give his time to the community.

“I’m from Norristown. The community means a lot to me. It raised me, family members, a lot of good friends of mine,” Tre said. “I just always wanted to give back in certain ways.”

A three-sport athlete in the Norristown Area School District, Hadrick excelled in football and was able to play collegiately, first at Auburn University, where he red-shirted as a freshman, and then North Carolina A&T, where he played for three seasons before multiple concussions ended his football-playing days before his senior season.

Advertisement

Even though his playing days were over, however, many of the values that he gained through his participation in sports really stuck with him and he is now trying to pass those qualities on to another generation of young people.

“Athletics teach children and individuals a lot of things that you cannot get on an everyday basis in life: discipline, accountability, team unity,” said Hadrick.

In fact, through athletics Hadrick learned valuable life lessons from a number of other coaches and mentors who helped shape his life and put him on the path to giving back, including former Norristown track and field coach Ted Ellis, current track coach Miles Burrell, and former basketball standout and assistant coach Dana “Binky” Johnson, who Hadrick called his “most impactful coach” in high school and instilled in Hadrick the notion of making a person or place better upon leaving than it was on arrival.

More than a decade after graduating from high school, Hadrick continues to keep that lesson in mind as he works in the community. It was that sentiment, along with the goodwill of a group of childhood friends in the Norristown area, that led to the formation of the Norristown Men of Excellence, which “strives to promote and support a healthy, vibrant, and thriving community in the greater Norristown area,” according to the mission statement found on the group’s Facebook page.

According to Hadrick, the idea for the group first came to him July 2011 after seeing the work done by a group of his friends and former teammates on various sport teams, most notably the Norristown Track Club, including Percy Jones, Hakim Jones, Sheldon Gray, and Troy Swittenburg.

“Back in July 2011, I spoke to Hakim about maybe doing it and bringing guys together and we said, ‘Oh, we’ll wait and come back around to it,’ but there was just more need in the community,” Hadrick explained. “People were asking for young guys, like in the age group of 35 and under, to get involved and everybody was already doing their own things in a certain manner, but we said if we form a unit, it will probably be able to help build networks and build resources and come together to make a difference.”

“We feel like we were already here. We grew up and now we’re back living here and trying to help the community every day so why not come together as a group and take it a step further?” Hakim Jones said on the formation of the group.

“Right around the time when (Tre) put the word out for the group I (was mentoring) an eighth-grader, so it all kind of worked hand-in-hand when he came and said I want you to be part of this organization,” said Percy Jones. “I was already doing this before Tre put it out there, but (the group) made it better.”

Since the group was formed 15 months ago, the men have been involved in a wide variety of local projects, including working the with Arts Hill program and expanding on a turkey drive for the holidays that Percy and his sister had been doing for several years and more projects are forthcoming because the group gave the men “a better platform and a united front,” according to Hakim.

In addition to the general work around the community, the Norristown Men of Excellence put a special emphasis on working with youth and providing support to keep the young people in Norristown on the right path, according to Hadrick.

“All parents want their children to stay out of trouble,” he said. “I think sometimes if the resources or the exposure hasn’t been there, some people can fall victim to some of the negatives of society and the violence and different things.”

As a result, the group has held multiple events aimed specifically at young people, including a football camp, a police-youth forum, and mulitple presentations ranging from mock interviews to workshops involving basic life skills, at schools in the Norristown Area School District, including Eisenhower Science and Technology Leadership Academy, where Hadrick works as a guidance counselor after receiving his master’s degree from Wilmington University.

“We have a good relationship with the school district,” said Hakim. “We really reached out to the superintendent. We reached out to different counselors that we work with every day and we just wanted to let them know that we’re available.”

For Hadrick and the other leaders in the Norristown Men of Excellence, the process of getting the group organized and getting their name out there has been a whirlwind process but has been completely worth all the time and effort.

“This first year, we really tried to put a feel out for who we are but really stay grounded. We’re trying to build this organization and I know a lot of different businesses and different groups come together and then after one year, they fall apart,” said Hadrick. “I can honestly say, though, with the help of the board and the other members, their dedication of wanting to see this thing through has been unbelievable.”

More information on the Norristown Men of Excellence can be found at www.facebook.com/NMOE19401 and the group can be reached via email at NMOE19401@gmail.com.